I was in the mood for something new and different. I had some goat cheese in the fridge (Steelers pizza left over), few beetroots, lot of ripe tomatoes, a printout of lasagna rolls recipe I wanted to try, and an idea of how to make it more suitable for our palate. After 45 minutes in the kitchen, the result was Рtasty lasagna rolls, some with goat cheese and some with spicy sweet peanut paste as filling, baked in fresh tomato sauce and served with saut̩ed onions, beetroots and peas as topping.
Recipe:
1.Tomato Sauce: Cook finely chopped 8 ripe, juicy tomatoes, 4 garlic cloves in one tsp of oil. Also add half glass of water, half teaspoon of red chilli powder and salt to taste. Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy and sauce like.
2. Filling: I prepared two kinds of filling. One is goat cheese, that’s an easy one, buy and open the packet, true Italian way. Roasted peanuts (outer skins removed) made into paste by adding little bit of salt, jaggery, red chilli powder and few drops of water – my idea of Indian type filling.
3. Lasagna: Meanwhile, cook 5 lasagna sheets in boiling salted water according to the instruction on the packet (takes at least 15 to 20 minutes), in a big pan. Drain and keep them in cold water so that they won’t stick to each other.
4. Baking: All the prep work is done and our ingredients are ready for the final step. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Spread the filling (goat cheese or peanut paste) on lasagna sheet evenly. Roll the sheet to the end and cut it into two equal rolls, crosswise. Prepare all lasagna sheets in this way. Pour the tomato sauce in a baking dish, arrange the lasagna rolls (cut side down) neatly in the sauce, loosely cover the dish with an aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes at 375° F.
5. Sauté: Finely chop beetroots and onion. Add peas and sauté them for few minutes. Season with salt and red pepper flakes.
Serve the lasagna rolls in tomato sauce with sautéed beetroots, onion and peas as topping.
I have to say I liked both goat cheese and peanut paste rolls equally. Tangy tomato sauce and sweetness from sautéed beetroots, onions and peas perfectly complimented the bland, baked lasagna rolls. Little bit time consuming, but I think these beautiful flower like lasagna rolls are terrific for entertaining because they can be prepared in the morning and baked at the last minute.
I like it! Due to the veggies, I may have a hard time convincing Matt to try it, but I’m certainly interested. Especially for the peanut…
Comment by Stephanie — November 4, 2005 @ 3:20 pm
I love the way you have used peanut butter. It is so underused in savory dishes.
Comment by mika — November 4, 2005 @ 3:28 pm
Stephanie..I applied peanut paste very thick on lasagna rolls. Dipped in tomato sauce they tasted quite good, really! You can easily substitute the veggies with meat like chicken bits for topping.Anyway you make it, I am sure it’s going to turn out as good stuff.:)
Mika.. I use peanuts literally like peanuts in my kitchen for everything. I love creamy peanut paste particularly combined with little bit of jaggery in savory dishes.
Comment by Indira — November 4, 2005 @ 5:18 pm
what a novel way to prepare lasagna, Indira. They look so pretty too.
Comment by Cin — November 5, 2005 @ 12:32 am
very interesting concoction! i love peanuts and cheese and tomatoes! i must try this out.
Comment by rokh — November 5, 2005 @ 12:32 am
Wonderful !!! Thanks 😉
Comment by Chanit — November 5, 2005 @ 4:45 am
How innovative! And looks elegant too (the lasagna all rolled up).
Foodlova
Comment by Anonymous — November 5, 2005 @ 7:42 am
indira, thanks for visiting 🙂 i love the way you create these wonderful dishes. my mum-in-law (who is konkani) was visiting and i got her to check your blog out and she loved it; she even took down some recipes!
Comment by rumy narayan — November 5, 2005 @ 8:21 am
Cin, Rokh, Chanit, Foodlova.. thanks for your comments.
Rumy..Thanks!
I am glad that your MIL approved my recipes.:)
I was a silent reader of your blog till now. Loved your blog from the beginning, about your daughter (what a cutie she is) and your shopping trips in New Delhi.
Comment by Indira — November 5, 2005 @ 6:44 pm
indira, how utterly creative! i LOVE the way your lasagna rolls look like flowers. something new to try one of these days…
Comment by stef — November 5, 2005 @ 7:29 pm
Hi Indira- the peanut filling sounds insanely good! great idea 🙂
Comment by tanvi — November 5, 2005 @ 8:02 pm
Stef.. very filling too. Please, try it and let me know, Thanks!
Hi Tanvi.. it’s good to hear from you again. Glad you liked the idea.
Comment by Indira — November 5, 2005 @ 8:34 pm
Hi Indira, it’s sure gonna make a lot of mouths water.:-) a great combo of an indian filling for an italian finish!
Comment by lera — November 6, 2005 @ 11:10 am
I want to try this dish. I tried shopping for goat cheese in alberstons, but I could’nt find it. I just got the chreddar cheese. Hope that works for this recipe.
Indira says
Priya, really? No goat cheese at Albertsons (We used to shop at Albertsons, when we were in Houston) , I am surprised. May be they were out of stock.
I am not sure about cheddar cheese Priya, sorry. Ricotta, grated Parmesan or just plain cream cheese are good choices if you ask me. (But if you like the taste of cheddar, then that’s super too. Don’t forget to grate it first.). Let me know how it came out. 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Comment by Priya — November 11, 2005 @ 7:03 pm
i googled for something completely different, but found your page… and have to say thanks. nice blog!
Indira says…
Hi Otaro, thanks for taking time and writing this nice comment.
Comment by Otaro — November 29, 2005 @ 7:06 pm
Excellent recipe.. Good creativity to make Lasagna with indian type of filling….
I will surely try this..
I am surprised to know, how I missed your website all these years. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER…. Keep posting all your creative recipes. Thanks.
Comment by Uma — January 23, 2007 @ 11:19 am
Hi Indira,
I tried to make these rolls over the weekend, and they didn’t present well. The noodles were really slippery, and i couldn’t roll them as nice as they look in your photos. Any tips or suggestions to offer?
Thanks
Hi Padmaja, sorry to hear about your cooking troubles. Lasagna rolls are easy to prepare, what went wrong?
Sometimes, overcooking cause them real slippery, perhaps that’s what happened. Also preparing the chutney or sauce on watery side and applying this watery thing inside the ribbon pasta, then also you can’t roll them properly. Is that what happened?
If you try again with these tips in mind, let me know how they turned out. Thanks and Happy cooking.
– Indira
Comment by Padmaja — April 30, 2007 @ 9:26 am